Today, May 2, as our Church celebrates the memorial of Athanasius , Bishop and Doctor, we are invited to read and reflect on a passage from the book of Wisdom (7: 7-16, 22-30), entitled "The joy of the just united to God". Our treasure, which follows, is from a discourse by Saint Athanasius, bishop.
Saint Athanasius was born at Alexandria in 295. He served as Patriarch of Alexandria for a period of his life, leading the church in Egypt and playing a significant role in shaping the early church. He accompanied Alexander to the Council of Nicaea and succeeded him as Bishop of Alexandria.
He fought courageously against the Arian heresy. a heretical view that Jesus was a created being, not fully divine like God the Father. He tirelessly defended the orthodox belief that Jesus was consubstantial with the Father, meaning of the same substance. For this he suffered many hardships and was exiled several times.
His writings are outstanding in their explanation and defense of the true teachings of the faith. Athanasius penned numerous theological treatises, including "On the Incarnation" and the "Four Orations Against the Arians," which are still studied for their profound insights into the nature of Christ. His writings, particularly "The Life of St. Antony," a biography of the desert father that influenced the growth of monasticism in both the East and the West, are believed to have played a significant role in the conversion of St. Augustine.
Saint Athanasius is a Doctor of the Church. He died in 373.
The Book of Wisdom was written about fifty years before the coming of Christ. Its author, whose name is not known to us, was probably a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, in Egypt. He wrote in Greek, in a style patterned on that of Hebrew verse. At times he speaks in the person of Solomon, placing his teachings on the lips of the wise king of Hebrew tradition in order to emphasize their value. His profound knowledge of the earlier Old Testament writings is reflected in almost every line of the book, and marks him, like Ben Sira, as an outstanding representative of religious devotion and learning among the sages of postexilic Judaism.
